It’s dog-eat-dog in battle to avoid relegation from PSL
● Perennial duckers of relegation are at it again. They’re trying to scramble enough points to preserve their wealthy status and the perks that go with mixing with the big dogs in the top flight of SA football.
A slip by one of AmaZulu, Chippa United and the three Limpopo clubs, Black Leopards, Polokwane City and Baroka, will result in a huge reduction of their R2m monthly grant, a possible withdrawal of any sponsorship deal they have, and participation in only one of the Premier Soccer League’s three money-spinning cup competitions.
Life is tough and cold in the GladAfrica Championship, the second tier of SA football, where the 16 clubs receive a monthly stipend of R500,000 and many survive on the generosity and deep pockets of their owners.
Jomo Cosmos, Ajax Cape Town and Free State Stars, who each won a couple of trophies in their time in the top flight not so long ago, can attest to how drastic life can change immediately after failing to retain a spot in the top flight.
Cosmos, the winners of the Telkom Knockout in 2002 and 2005, are fighting for survival in their last league game in the GladAfrica today after failing to bounce back to the Absa Premiership since their relegation at the end of 2015/16 season.
Fighting relegation is familiar terrain for AmaZulu, Chippa, Leopards and Baroka who all narrowly survived last season, a campaign in which the 2018 winners of the Nedbank Cup, Free State Stars, were relegated.
Maritzburg United escaped the axe last season via the PSL’s ridiculous back door that ensures that a team that finishes in 15th place in the Premiership gets to compete with GladAfrica’s runners-up and third finishers in what is called a promotion-relegation play-off.
While Maritzburg have gone on to challenge for a top-eight finish in the Premiership this season, the two GladAfrica clubs, Tshakhuma Tsa Madzivhandila (TTM) and Royal Eagles, that they competed with in last season’s play-offs, will be on completely different courses next season.
A trust representiPngR TTM has been allowed by the PSL to buy the status of 99year-old Bidvest Wits and will be exchanging high fives with big boys in the Premiership as a Limpopo-based club next season while Eagles could well be on a path to oblivion after being relegated to the third division.
It was not lost on Baroka coach Dylan Kerr that his club may become kingmakers at both ends of the Premiership table in the coming week, given their last three tough league fixtures.
Kerr told the Sunday Times this week that contemplating life in the wilderness was, however, the last thing on his mind.
Based on Baroka’s form (two draws and one defeat) in the bio bubble in Gauteng and the fact that they face second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns today, third-placed SuperSport United on Wednesday and log leaders Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday, it is hard to see Kerr’s team adding anything to the 25 points they have picked up in their 27 matches.
“We can’t be entertaining those negative thoughts [about relegation] because a lot can still happen in these games,” said a defiant Kerr, who played for Arcadia Shepherds in the old National Soccer League between 1986 and 1988.
For AmaZulu coach Ayanda Dlamini, being relegated for the fifth time in the PSL era will not only shatter the dreams and change the lives and livelihood of the current players. But yesterday’s gallant 1-0 win over Leopards may be enough to save the 88year-old KwaZulu-Natal club as it lifted them to 15th to 13th spot.
“We represent the dreams and hopes of so many people of KwaZulu-Natal and beyond,” said the 35-year-old former Usuthu striker, whose team, like Baroka and bottom-placed Polokwane, had yet to win a game in the bio bubble before yesterday’s win.
“It is for this reason that we have no option but to fight to the end in defending our PSL status.
“We can’t depend on other results. We have to get something in our last three games against Leopards [yesterday], Stellenbosch [on Wednesday] and Highlands Park [on Saturday].”
Based on the fact that no club has been relegated or finished 15th in the past three seasons after attaining 30 points, Chippa United can still breathe easy after their 1-1 draw against the in-form Stellenbosch on Friday. Thokozani Sekotlong scored a lastminute equaliser for the Chilli Boys to take their points tally to 31.
Leopards, two points clear of Polokwane before meeting Usuthu yesterday, look strong enough to survive after their two wins in the bubble.
With that in mind, the real scramble after AmaZulu’s priceless victory, seems to be now between Polokwane and Baroka.
We can’t be entertaining those negative thoughts [about relegation] because a lot can still happen
Dylan Kerr
Baroka coach